Lap carrier



June 1952 D. s. PRESTON 3,04

LAP CARRIER Filed July 13, 1959 5 Sheets-Sheet 1 A5 INVENTOR.

/2 041 0 p/QfSTQA/ y wrrzsf as-5am June 26, 1962 D. s. PRESTON 3,040,916

LAP CARRIER Filed July 13. 1959 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 .2 IN VENTOR.

04 1//0 6. fleesran/ June 26, 1962 D. s. PRESTON LAP CARRIER 5 Sheets-Sheet 3 Filed July 15, 1959 INVENTOR.

0,4100 5 ppasron/ June 1962 D. s. PRESTON 3,040,916

LAP CARRIER Filed July 13, 1959 5 Sheets-Sheet 4 Q I NVENTOR. 0,4140 \5? ic $70M W776 f as-zero I 1477'0pm E June- 26, 1962 D. s. PRESTON 3,040,916

LAP CARRIER Filed July 13, 1959 5 Sheets-Sheet 5 INVENTOR.

04 V/O J; xalsran/ ivrraeA/zxs United States Patent G 3,040,916 LAP CARRIER David S. Preston, Lakewood, Ohio, assignor to The American MonoRail Company, Cleveland, Ohio, a corporation of Ohio Filed July 13, 1959, Ser. No. 826,735 6 Claims. (Cl. 214-61) This invention relates to the art of handling elongated articles and is particularly concerned with apparatus for carrying and discharging picker laps.

In the textile industry, a picker machine forms fibers into a continuous belt which is wound around a mandrel into a cylindrical form commonly called a picker lap. These laps are transported to card machines for conversion into sliver. Picker laps must be handled so that the fibers in the outer portions will not be torn or otherwise disarranged and to that end the laps have heretofore been handled by placing the mandrel in notches in the uprights of a truck. The picker attendant severs the belt of fibers when the lap has attained a weight which he can conveniently handle, for example, 60 pounds, and then he lifts the mandrel out of its sockets in the picker machine and transfers the mandrel and lap to the rack which is to transport it to the card room. In the card room the laps are supplied to the card machines manually as required.

The foregoing method of making and handling laps involves considerable manual labor and demands time and attention of the picker operator which could better be devoted to controlling the operation of the picker.

Heretofore proposals have been made for mechanically removing laps from the picker, transporting them by overhead trolleys to the card room and automatically depositing the laps on receiving trays adjacent to card machines preparatory to supplying them with laps. While such apparatus has been used with considerable satisfaction and quite extensively, a demand has grown up for less complicated apparatus having substantially the same capabilities as the prior devices.

The present invention aims to provide a picker lap handling means which is simple in construction, positive in operation, consists of a small number of parts and from which laps may be discharged automatically without any significant damage to the laps.

The present invention will be better understood by those skilled in the art from the following specification and the drawings which accompany and form a part of it, and in which:

FIGURE 1 is a side elevational view of a preferred form of apparatus embodying the present invention.

FIGURE 2 is a top plan view of the apparatus of FIGURE 1.

FIGURE 3 is an end elevational view of the apparatus .of FIGURES 1 and 2.

FIGURE 4 is an enlarged fragmentary end elevational view of the latching 'mechanism of the apparatus of FIGURES 1 to 3.

FIGURE 5 is a fragmentary side elevational view of the apparatus of FIGURE 4.

FIGURE 6 is an end elevational view of the automatic discharging mechanism of the apparatus of FIGURES 1 to 3.

FIGURE 7 is a top plan view of the apparatus of FIGURE 6.

FIGURES 8 and 8a are fragmentary side elevational views of the apparatus of FIGURES 1 to 3, and showing the latching mechanism of FIGURES 6 and 7 with parts broken away.

FIGURE 9 is a side elevational view similar to FIG URE 1, but showing a modified form of the invention.

3,043,916 Patented June 26, 1962 FIGURE 10 is a front end elevational view showing the apparatus of FIGURE 1 with the parts in position to retain a lap mandrel;

FIGURE 11 is a view similar to FIGURE 10, but with the parts in the lap discharging position; and

FIGURES 12 and 13 are, respectively, fragmentary side elevational and end elevational views resembling FIGURES l and 3 but showing a modified embodiment of the present invention.

In the embodiment of the invention shown in FIG- URES l to 8, inclusive, the frame 1 includes a pair of angles 2 between which brackets 3 are secured as by rivets 4, the brackets 3 being shaped to be received in, and retained by, a traveling support such for example as a trolley yoke (not shown) capable of being attached to trolleys (not shown) to run on an overhead track (not shown). The trolley and bar may be considered as constituting trolley means. Near the leading or front end and the rear or trailing end of the frame 1, tubular legs 5 and 6 extend downwardly. As is better shown in FIGURE 3, these legs are bent laterally, as indicated at 7, and then extend downwardly as indicated at 8, to provide a space directly below the frame for a picker lap or other cylindrical article which is to be transported by this apparatus. The legs 5 and 6 are connected together at their lower ends as by tube 9' and, if desired, tubes 5, 6 and 9 may be made of a single piece of tubing. Horizontal plate 11 is connected to the bottom tube 9 in any suitable manner, for example as by welding, and extends :rearwardly from the lower end of leg 5. Plate 12 is secured to plate 11 by being welded, bolted or riveted thereto. Less than half the distance from leg 5 to leg 6, one end of a tube is suitably connected to plate or rod 15 and projects at right angles thereto to a point beyond the vertical center line of the brackets 3. An arcuate shaped, elongated pan 20 is provided with downwardly projecting bearing-like members 21 mounted for rotation around rod 15. These members 21 may move longitudinally of rod 15 to a limited extent as defined by collar 22 and nut 23 on rod 15. A counter weight 25 consisting of one or more plate-like members is attached to the underside of pan 20 at its leading end for the purpose of restoring the pan 20 to a substantially horizontal position after an article has been discharged from the pan. A cable 26 attached to plate 12 and pan 20 serves to limit the extent to which pan 20 may be tilted.

Means is provided for retaining the pan 2t and load thereon in substantially horizontal position until it is desired to discharge the load from the pan whereupon the pan securing means may be released automatically or mechanically. The automatic means for accomplishing this purpose is shown in FIGURE 4- on an enlarged scale. There, plate 12 carries an upwardly extending bracket 30, and pivotally supports a lever 31 which may be actuated by vertical movement of rod 32 which is adjustably connected, as by its threaded end and nuts 33, to the free end of one arm of the lever. The other arm 34 of lever 31 is engageable with a pin 35 which is carried by plate 36, the latter being pivotally supported on pin '37 which is carried by bracket 38 suitably secured to rod 15. Plate 36 carries on one side thereof a roller 40 rotatably mounted on a pin 41. Plate 36 is urged toward the position shown in FIGURE 4 by spring 4-2 which is connected to bracket 38.

A plate 43 depends from the underside of pan 20 and is provided with a rectangular shaped notch 44 in which roller 40 may seat when the pan is in horizontal position and from which roller 40 may be moved when plate 36 is pivoted about its pivot pin 37 by counterclockwise movement of lever 31.

After an article has been discharged from pan 20, counterweight 25 will restore the pan to its horizontal position, and spring 42 will move plate 36 to engage roller 40 in notch 44 and retain the plate in its horizontal position.

Automatic means for actuating rod 32 is provided at the leading end of frame 1, this mechanism being better shown in FIGURES 6, 7 and 8. A box-like member or channel 50 provided with ends 51 and 52 and having front and rear sides 53 and 54 is connected to the front end of frame 1.

A rod 55 is rotatably carried in bearings in ends 51 and 52 of channel 50. Sleeve 56 is mounted on rod 55 for rotational movement with that rod and for axial movement relative to the rod. The rod and sleeve may be so associated in any well known and suitable manner, for example as illustrated, by providing each one with a square cross sectional shape except, of course, in the end portions of the rod which extend into the bearings. A compressed spring 57 is wound around rod 55 and is attached at one end to end 51 of channel 50 and at the other end to sleeve 56. The direction of the spiral winding of spring 57 is such that it urges sleeve 56 counter clockwise, as seen in FIGURES 8 and 8a, and, due to its compressed state, it urges that sleeve toward the right as seen in FIGURE 7.

A plate 60 is secured to side 53 of channel or box 50 near the leading end thereof and is provided along its upper edge with a rack consisting of a plurality of teeth 61 and intervening notches 62. A trigger 65 is connected to sleeve 56 for movement with the latter, both endwise and rotationally. Trigger 65 has forwardly and rearwardly extending integral pawls 66 and 67. Pawl 66 may be seated in any of the notches 62 of the rack by exerting a pull on cable 58 and thereby moving sleeve 56 along rod 55. When cable 58 is released, spring 57 will rotate the sleeve counterclockwise, as seen in FIG- URE 8, with coincident movement of forward pawl 66 into the notch 62 therebelow.

A trigger guide 68 is rotatably carried by guide brackets 69 which are secured to the side 54 of box 50 and is urged against a stop 70 by a spring (not shown). Guide 63 extends toward sleeve 56 and normally lies beneath pawl 67 when trigger 65 is being moved along the rack for engagement therewith. When trigger 65 is moved rearwardly, i.e. to the right in FIGURES 8 and 8a, far enough to release pan 20 for delivery of a lap thereon, rear pawl 67 will move guide 68 downwardly about its pivots until the guide clears the end of pawl 67 whereupon the spring-urged guide 68 will return to its uppermost position against stop 70 and retain trigger 65 in that position until spring 57 has returned sleeve 56 endwise to its initial position and moved pawl 67 out from under guide 68, whereupon pawl 66 will be restored to contact with the rack by spring 57.

Rod 32 is adjustably connected, as by nuts 75 on its upper end, to the free end of lever 76 which is keyed to rod 55, and which is rotated by trigger 65.

It will be understood that when the pawl 66 is in any of the notches 62, and trigger 65 is moved clockwise, as seen in FIGURE 8, lever 76 will be rotated clockwise and rod 32 will be pulled up with coincident pivotal movement of plate 36 clockwise, as seen in FIGURE 4, and movement of roller 40 out of recess 44. When trigger 65 is free to rotate counterclockwise, as seen in FIGURE 8, spring 42 will cause pin 35 to rotate lever 31 clockwise, as seen in FIGURE 4, and will bring roller 40 into recess 44 when the counter weight 25 has restored the pan to its horizontal position.

The operation of the above-described apparatus is substantially as follows. Cable 58 is pulled to place pawl 66 in one of the notches 62 in plate 66 which is to correspond with an unlatching device adjacent to a card machine which is to be supplied with a lap. Then a picker lap is placed on pan 26 and the device is moved by the trolley means along a track which serves several card machines. When the device reaches the card machine where the picker lap is to be deposited, trigger 65 engages an unlatching device and is rotated clockwise, as seen in FIGURE 8, with resultant disengagement of pawl 66 from teeth 61 and engagement of pawl 67 under guide 68 and endwise movement of trigger 65 to beyond the end of guide 68 and then counterclockwise, as seen in FIGURE 8, until pawl 66 seats in the right end notch 62, as seen in FIGURE 6, upward movement of rod 32 and unlatching movement of roller 40 out of notch 44. Thereupon, since more of the load on pan 20 is to the rear of supporting rod 15 than forwardly thereof, the trailing end of pan 20 will tilt down substantially into contact with a lap receiving tray. As the carrier means moves the pan forwardly, it is withdrawn from beneath the lap and the latter is thereby discharged without damage on the receiving tray. As soon as the pan 20 has moved clear of the lap, counterweight 25 pivots the pan about rod 15 and spring 42 urges roller 40 into notch 44. The upward movement of pin 35 moves lever 31 clockwise and makes it ready to be engaged by nuts 33 on rod 32 when trigger 65 is engaged by the unlatching device.

In the modification of the present invention shown in FIGURES 9 to 11 inclusive, the frame 80 comprises two angles 81 connected together by bolts 82, or by any other suitable means, and front and rear legs 83 extend downwardly from between angles 81. Frame 80 may be supported by any suitable conveyor means but, as illustrated, by chain links 85 and clevices 86 which may be attached to trolleys (not shown). Gussets 87 serve to brace legs 83 and maintain them in parallel position and perpendicular to frame 80. Brackets 90 project laterally from legs 83 and at their free ends rotatably carry a shaft 91. Cranks 92 are keyed to shaft 91 adjacent to its ends and outside of legs 83. A wire cable is connected to the free end of one of cranks 92 and is threaded through a sheath which extends downwardly along the front leg 83 to a point where a handle (not shown) on cable 95 may be grasped by the operator. Each crank 92 carries a pin 93.

At the lower ends of legs 83, levers 96 are rotatably supported, as by pivot pins 97, and bars 98 are pivoted, as at 99, to one end of each of the levers and extend upwardly and at their upper end are engageable beneath shaft 91. When cable 95 is pulled, the upper ends of bars 98 will be moved by pins 93 from the position shown in FIGURE 10 to that shown in FIGURE 11 whereupon lever 96 will be free to rotate. 102 carried by legs 83 engage with the adjacent edges of bars 98 and serves to urge them into place below shaft 91. Bars 98 are guided in their movements caused by cable 95 and springs 102 by being disposed close to, and slidable along the sides of plates 103 which are connected to legs 83. a

The apparatus of FIGURES 9, l0 and 11 operates substantially as follows:

With the parts shown in the position illustrated in FIG- URE 10, the mandrel 105 of a picker lap may be placed in the space between legs 83 and the upwardly projecting arms of levers 96. When the lap is to be discharged from this apparatus the operator pulls cable 95 thereby shifting the parts to the position shown in FIGURE 11 whereupon the weight of the lap will rotate levers 96 and the mandrel will slide downwardly and off lever 96 and the lap may be caught on a suitable receiver. It will be understood as indicated above that apparatus embodying the present invention may be actuated automatically or manually. Automatic means is shown for actuating the apparatus of FIGURES 1 to 8, and manual means is shown for operating the apparatus of FIGURES 9 to 11. of FIGURES 1 to 8 may be replaced by manual means such as that illustrated in FIGURES 9 to 11, and that Bent leaf springs It will be understood that the automatic means 7 1 5 the automatic means of the FIGURES 1 to 8 may be substituted for the manual means of FIGURES 9 to 11.

A further modified form of the present invention is shown in FIGURES 12 and 13. In general the modification of these two figures is much like that shown in FIG- URES 1 and 3, and like reference numerals indicate closely similar parts in each of these modifications. The main differences are that in the embodiment of FIGURES 12 and 13 the lap carrying pan 26 is supported on longitudinally extending bearings 21 which are supported by short rods 15. Thus the pan may discharge a lap transversely of the pan and in a sidewise position.

The pan 20 is provided with a plate 43 in the shape of a hook having a notch 44 to engage beneath roller 40 which serves to maintain pan 20' in a lap holding position until roller 4ft is removed from the notch by upward movement of rod 32, counterclockwise rotation of lever 31 and the pivoting of plate 36 about pivot 37. When roller 40 is thus moved out of engagement with notch 44 the pan 20 will rotate counterclockwise about its pivots 21 to the position shown by the dot and dash lines in FIGURE 13, and a lap thereon will roll off the pan. Counterweight attached to the pan will thereupon return the pan to its lap carrying position as shown in full lines in FIGURE 13 with engagement of roller in notch 44 and the resetting of lever 31 for subsequent engagement with nut 33 when the trigger 65 engages an unlatching device.

The operation of the apparatus of FIGURES 12 and 13 will be understood from the foregoing description of the apparatus of FIGURES 1 to 8 inclusive and further description of the operation of the apparatus of FIG- URES 12 and 13 is unnecessary.

Having thus described this invention in such full, clear, concise and exact terms as to enable any person skilled in the art to which it pertains to make and use the same, and having set forth the best mode contemplated of carrying out this invention, I state that the subject which I regard as being my invention is particularly pointed out and distinctly claimed in What is claimed, it being understood that equivalents or modifications of, or substitutions for, parts of the above specifically described embodiments of the invention may be made without departing from the scope of the invention as set forth in what is claimed.

What is claimed is:

1. Apparatus for handling elongated articles which comprises trolley means to run on an overhead track, a frame suspended from said trolley means and having front and rear ends, legs extending downwardly from the front and rear ends of said frame, means supported by said legs for carrying an elongated article bewteen the lower ends of said legs with its longitudinal axis being substantailly parallel to the direction of travel of the frame, said carrying means including means connecting the lower ends of said legs, a rod connected to said means and extending at substantially a right angle thereto, a pan rotatably mounted between its ends on said rod for downward tilting of the trailing end of said pan, means connected to the frame for locking said pan in a substantially horizontal position, means for unlocking said locking means, means carried by the pan for restoring it to substantially horizontal position after discharge of an article therefrom, and means for actuating the locking means to locking position when the pan has been restored to substantially horizontal position.

2. Apparatus for handling elongated articles which comprises trolley means to run on an overhead track, a frame suspended from said trolley means and having front and rear ends, legs extending downwardly from the front and rear ends of said frame, means supported by said legs for carrying an elongated article between the lower ends of said legs with its longitudinal axis being substantially parallel to the direction of travel of the frame, said carrying means including means connecting the lower ends of said legs, a rod connected to said means and extending at substantially a right angle thereto, a pan rotatably mounted between its ends on said rod for downward tilting of the trailing end of said pan, a counterweight attached to the pan near its leading end to position the unloaded pan horizontally, means connected to the frame for locking said pan in a substantially horizontal position, means for unlocking said locking means, and means actuated by return of the pan to a substantially horizontal position for actuating said locking means to pan locking position.

3. Apparatus for handling elongated articles which comprises trolley means to run on an overhead track, a frame suspended from said trolley means and having front and rear ends, legs extending downwardly from the front and rear ends of said frame and a horizontal member connecting the legs together at their lower ends, a rod connected to said member and extending at substantially a right angle thereto, a pan rotatably mounted between its ends on said rod and adapted to carry an elongated article with its longitudinal axis being substantially parallel to the direction of travel of the frame, interengaging latch members connected to said rod and to said pan, means connected to the frame for disengaging said latch members to permit downward tilting of the trailing end of the pan, a counterweight attached to the leading part of the pan to restore it to a horizontal position and spring means connected to the latch members to interengage them when the pan is positioned horizontally 4. Apparatus for handling elongated articles which comprises trolley means to run on an overhead track, a frame suspended from said trolley means and having front and rear ends, legs extending downwardly from the front and rear ends of said frame, a horizontal member connecting said legs together at their lower ends, a pan carried by said legs for supporting an elongated article between the lower ends of said legs with its longitudinal axis being substantially parallel to the direction of travel of the frame, interengaging latch members connected to said pan and horizontal member to control movement of the pan, and means connected to the frame for controlling said latch members, said controlling means including a plate connected to said horizontal member, a lever pivotally connected to said plate and adapted to move one of said latch members out of inter-engagement with the other latch member, a support extending transversely across and connected to the leading end of the frame, a trigger mounted on said support for rotational movement and movement longitudinally of said support, and a rod connected to said lever and rotatable by said trigger.

5 Apparatus for handling elongated articles which comprises trolley means to run on an overhead track, a frame suspended from said trolley means and having front and rear ends, legs extending downwardly from the front and rear ends of said frame, means supported by said legs for carrying an elongated article between the lower ends of said legs with its longitudinal axis being substantially parallel to the direction of travel of the frame, said carrying means including means connecting the lower ends of said legs, rods connected to said means and extending at substantially right angles thereto, a pan rotatably mounted between its ends on said rods for tilting movement about an axis extending longitudinally thereof, interengaging means connected to the frame and pan for locking said pan in load carrying position, means for unlocking said locking means for lateral discharge of a load from said pan, counter weight means for restoring said pan to article receiving position after discharge of an article therefrom, and means for interengaging said locking means after such discharge.

6. Apparatus for handling elongated articles which comprises trolley means to run on an overhead track, a frame suspended from said trolley means and having front and rear ends, legs extending downwardly from the front 4 and rear ends of said frame, means supported by the lower ends of the legs for carrying an elongated article with its longitudinal axis substantially parallel to the track of travel of the frame, said means including connecting means attached to the lower ends of said legs, rigid means attached to said connecting means and extending laterally therefrom, an elongated pan mounted between its ends on said rigid means for article-discharging tilting movement, means adjacent to one leg of the frame for locking said pan in article-holding position, and means carried by the frame and connected to said locking means for unlocking the locking means when the pan is to tilt to discharge the article, and means attached to the pan to restore it to article-holding position after discharge of an article therefrom and to actuate the locking means into locking position.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS mm: v 

